Safety-nest.



S. J HARRELL. SAFETY NEST.

YHE NORRIS PETERS ca., WASH NNNNNN n APPLICATION FILED DEG. 4,1909. I 979,294. Patented Dec.'20, -1910.

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S. J. HARRELL. SAFETY NEST.

APPLIIOATIOH FILED DEG. 4,1909

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

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SAMUEL J.

HARE-ELL, E IVIENDEN, LOUISIANA.

SAFETYJYIEST.

Application file-:1 December 1, 1909.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL J. Hannnnn, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Minden, in the parish of ehster and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful improvements in Safety- Kests, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety nests and traps for fowls, and it has among its objects to produce a device of this class of simple and inexpensive construction provided with a trap door which shall be automatically closed by the weight of the fowl when entering the nest.

A furth r object of the invention is to provide a simple and improved latch means whereby the door may be locked when the fowl is upon the nest, thereby confining the fowl within the nest box.

Further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the general construction and operation of a device of the character described.

Vith these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and par ticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exnibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the invention may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,lligure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a device constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-8 of Fig. 1. Fig. f is a longitudinalsectional detail view taken on the line 45: in Fig. 3.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The body A. of the improved nest box consists of a rectangular frame formed preferably of sheet metal, wood or other suitable material and comprising the side walls 22, the rear wall 8 and the front wall a, the latter being provided with a door opening 5 adjacent to the sides and top edge of which Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1910.

Serial No. 531,331.

flanges 6 and 7 are struck up in an outward direction or otherwise formed. The lower edges of the sides and the front and rear walls of the frame are provided with a strengthening bead 8 reinforced by a wire 9. The frame is supported upon legs 10 suitably connected therewith. A lid 11 is connected with the frame A by means of hinges 12 adjacent to the upper edge of one of the side walls 2, and said lid when closed may be secured by a hasp 18 and a staple 1 1 or other con *enient fastening means.

The nest 15 which is provided with a forwardly extending foot board 16 is supported pivotally adjacent to its front edge by means of a rod 17 extending transversely through the side walls of the frame. The foot board is provided with a struck-up flange 18 forming a tray which may be weighted with sand, gravel. or other suitable material to facilitate the operation of the device; said tray may also be used as a feed board.

23. rock shaft 19, which is suitably supported adjacent to the upper edge of the door opening is provided at one end with a radially extending arm 20 which is connected with one of the side flanges 18 of the foot board 16 by means of a link 21; the rock shaft 19 also carries a door 22 which may be constructed of wire netting and which closes from the outside in a downward direction, said door being closed when the arm 20 is inclined in an upward direction, as shown in Fig. 1. The opposite end of the rock shaft 19 carries a radial arm 23 Wl1lCl1 is approximately parallel to the arm 20 and is provided at its free end with. a laterally extending lug 2a. A catch member 25 is pivotally mounted upon the inner face of one of the side walls 2, said catch member being formed with a terminal hook 26 adapted to engage the lug 24 of the arm 23 for the purpose of securing the door in locked position when desired. The catch member 25 is provided with a laterally extending lug 29, whereby it is spaced from the wall 2 upon which it is pivoted for the purpose of guiding it properly into engagement with the lug 241 when desired.

The washers or spacing members 27 are placed upon the rod 17 between the side walls 2 and the side flanges 18 of the foot board 16 to insure freedom of operation of the several parts. A hook member 28 is mounted upon the inner face of one of the side walls for the purpose of supporting the catch member 25 when the latter is not required for immediate use.

Ordinarily, the foot board is loaded to overbalance the weight of the nest, thus rocking the shaft 19 to present the door in an open position, when the said door will be supported against the top flange 7 adjacent to the door opening. lVhen a fowl enters the nest box and walks over the foot board and occupies the nest, the weight of the fowl will over-balance the foot board, swinging the latter in an upward direction and rocking the shaft 19 to close the door, thus excluding rats and other vermin from the box. Should it be desired to trap the fowl in the nest, the hooked end of the catch member 25 may be placed in engagement with the lug 24L of the arm 23, thus securing the rock shaft against oscillation; the relative lengths of the catch member 25 and the arm 23 are such that the hook 26 may be placed in engagement with the lug 24-, not only when the door is closed, but when it is open, thus sustaining the door in open position when it shall be desired to do so.

As will be seen from the foregoing description, the improved nest box is simple in construction, and it will be found thoroughly efiicient for the purposes for which it is intended.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimeC as new, is

1. In a device of the character described, a rectangular sheet metal frame having a front wall provided with a door opening and with flanges adjacent to the side and top edges of said opening, a nest having a forwardly extending flanged foot board supported pivotally upon a rod extending between the side walls of the frame, a rock shaft supported adjacent to the upper edge of the door opening and having radially extending arms, a link connecting one of said arms with the flanged foot board, a lug extending laterally from the other arm, a catch member pivoted upon and spaced from the inner face of one of the side walls and having a terminal hook adapted to engage the lug extending from one arm of the rock shaft, and a door connected with the rock shaft and abutting when open upon the flange adjacent to the upper edge of the door opening; said frame being provided with a hingedly supported lid.

2. In a device of the character described, a rectangular sheet metal frame having a front wall provided with a door opening and with flanges adjacent to the side and top edges of said opening, a nest having a forwardly extending flanged foot board supported pivotally upon a rod extending between the side walls of the frame, a rock shaft supported adjacent to the upper edge of the door opening and having radially extending arms, a link connecting one of said arms with the flanged foot board, a lug ex tending laterally from the outer arm, a catch member pivoted upon and spaced from the inner face of one of the side walls and having a terminal hook adapted to engage the lug extending from one arm of the rock shaft, and a door connected with the rock shaft and abutting when open upon the flange adjacent to the upper edge of the door opening, said frame being provided with a hingedly supported lid; the catch member and the arm engaged thereby being of such relative dimensions that the arm may be engaged by the catch to sustain the door in an open as well as a closed position.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL J. HARRELL. Witnesses Ronr. D. N EBB, N. R. GnIcsnY. 

